Source condition
A current repository, organised notes, and available experts reduce discovery time. Contradictory or incomplete material increases it.
Technical writing · Pricing
Technical writing pricing, with enough detail to plan a real budget.
Most work is quoted as a fixed project. A technical article starts at €1,200, an interview-led case study at €1,500, a white paper or technical report at €4,000, and a focused documentation sprint at €3,500.
These are my starting prices and working ranges, not market averages. I confirm the scope after seeing the source material, reviewers, deadline, and publication requirements.
Budget guide
Starting prices and common project ranges.
A defined deliverable makes the budget easier to compare and the review process easier to control. The range reflects projects I can take on directly; it is not a promise that every brief fits inside it.
| Deliverable | Starts at | Common budget | Indicative schedule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technical article | €1,200 | €1,200–€1,800 | 2–3 weeks |
| Interview-led case study | €1,500 | €1,500–€2,400 | 2–4 weeks |
| White paper or technical report | €4,000 | €4,000–€8,000 | 4–8 weeks |
| Documentation sprint | €3,500 | €3,500–€7,500 | 2–6 weeks |
| Existing-content refresh | €650 | €650–€1,200 | 1–2 weeks |
| Ongoing technical publishing | €4,500/month | €4,500–€7,500/month | Monthly |
What the fee covers
The work around the words is part of the work.
The proposal names the deliverable, assumptions, source access, reviewers, revision rounds, and publication work. A standard project normally includes:
- 01
Research and source review
I read the available product notes, code, documentation, public sources, or prior drafts before deciding what the piece can responsibly say.
- 02
Expert interviews
When the knowledge sits with the team, I prepare and run focused interviews, then take uncertain claims back for verification.
- 03
Outline and argument
I agree the reader, the central question, the evidence, and the structure before a long draft makes changes expensive.
- 04
Writing and technical review
The price includes a defined review process and revision rounds, with one accountable technical reviewer whenever possible.
- 05
Publication preparation
Metadata, links, diagrams, CMS entry, or documentation structure can be included when they are named in the scope.
What changes the quote
Length matters less than access, uncertainty, and review.
A short case study based on three interviews can require more judgment than a long explainer built from clean source material.
Technical depth
Running code, checking APIs, reproducing a workflow, or reviewing architecture requires more work than editing an established explanation.
Evidence and visuals
Original data, charts, diagrams, screenshots, citations, and fact checking are scoped explicitly.
Review path
One technical reviewer is efficient. Legal review, security review, or several decision-makers need more time and coordination.
Rights and confidentiality
Ghostwriting, work-for-hire terms, an NDA, or a no-byline project can affect the fee and the material I am able to show later.
Delivery and deadline
CMS publishing, design coordination, localization, distribution support, or a compressed schedule are priced as additional production work.
Representative scopes
What the starting budgets are designed to buy.
Article · from €1,200
One useful argument, properly researched.
A focused technical article for a defined reader, based on available sources and up to two expert interviews.
- Research and source notes
- Outline before drafting
- One complete draft
- Two revision rounds
- Metadata and link recommendations
Case study · from €1,500
A customer or project story that survives fact checking.
An interview-led case study that explains the problem, constraints, decisions, and supported result without manufacturing a cleaner story than the evidence allows.
- Interview preparation
- Up to three interviews
- Evidence and quote check
- Narrative draft
- Two revision rounds
Report · from €4,000
A substantial source asset, not a long sales page.
A white paper or technical report built from research, interviews, and a clear point of view for technical and commercial readers.
- Research plan
- Source synthesis
- Detailed outline
- Long-form manuscript
- Tables or diagram briefs
- Two revision rounds
Documentation · from €3,500
A bounded documentation problem solved in a sprint.
A focused block of product or developer documentation, with the information architecture and acceptance criteria agreed before production.
- Content and gap audit
- Reader task map
- Representative pages
- Review and revision
- Handover notes
How projects are priced
Fixed scope first. Retainers when continuity genuinely helps.
- Fixed project
- Best for a defined article, case study, report, or documentation sprint. The proposal gives both sides a clear finish line.
- Monthly publishing
- Useful when a team has reliable access to experts and a real publishing cadence. It starts at €4,500 per month.
- Hourly work
- Reserved for uncertain audits, workshops, or support that cannot sensibly be defined in advance. I do not use hourly billing to hide an unclear scope.
- Per-word pricing
- Usually the wrong measure. Research, interviews, examples, diagrams, and review determine the work more than the final word count.
Boundaries
What the quote does not quietly promise.
Unless a proposal says otherwise, the fee does not include paid distribution, media placement, guaranteed backlinks, guaranteed rankings, translation, custom visual design, or unlimited revisions. I can support publication and outreach preparation, but no credible writer can guarantee editorial coverage or search performance.
FAQ
Technical writing pricing questions
How much does a freelance technical writer cost?
My fixed projects currently start at €650 for a focused content refresh, €1,200 for a technical article, €1,500 for an interview-led case study, €3,500 for a documentation sprint, and €4,000 for a white paper or technical report. The final quote depends on sources, depth, interviews, review, and production work.
Why price by project instead of by word?
Word count does not measure research, technical checking, interviews, diagrams, or review. A fixed project connects the fee to a defined deliverable, assumptions, and acceptance criteria.
How much does a technical article cost?
A focused article starts at €1,200. A common budget is €1,200–€1,800 when the source material is available, the reader is defined, and the project has a controlled review path.
How much does an interview-led case study cost?
A case study starts at €1,500, with a common working range of €1,500–€2,400. The number of interviews, evidence checks, approvals, and confidentiality requirements have the largest effect.
How much does a white paper or technical report cost?
A white paper or technical report starts at €4,000. Research-heavy projects with original data, several interviews, diagrams, or multiple review groups commonly require €4,000–€8,000.
How much does API or product documentation cost?
A focused documentation sprint starts at €3,500. The useful unit is a bounded reader problem or documentation area, not an unlimited promise to document an entire product.
What usually increases the price?
Incomplete sources, deep product testing, extra interviews, original data, diagrams, legal or security review, several stakeholders, localization, CMS production, and urgent deadlines all add work.
How many revision rounds are included?
Two revision rounds are included in the representative starting scopes. The proposal names the reviewers and explains how new evidence or a changed brief is handled.
Can you work under an NDA or without a byline?
Yes. Confidential and ghostwritten work is possible. The proposal will state the rights, attribution, access controls, and whether I can describe any part of the work later.
Do you use AI in the writing process?
I may use AI for bounded research support, transcription, corpus inspection, formatting, or editorial checks when the material and confidentiality terms allow it. I remain responsible for sources, claims, structure, and final editorial judgment.
Can you publish directly in our CMS?
Yes, when access and publishing requirements are agreed in advance. CMS entry, internal links, metadata, diagrams, and final page checks are production tasks and will be included explicitly in the quote.
Do you guarantee rankings, backlinks, or press coverage?
No. I can make the work clear, useful, technically credible, and ready for discovery or outreach. Search rankings, editorial links, and media coverage depend on decisions outside a writer’s control.
Have a real brief?
Send the material you have. I’ll tell you what is missing and quote the work.
You do not need to polish the request first. The reader, source material, reviewers, deadline, and intended publication are enough to begin.
Discuss a writing project